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Belfast facts and figures

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland (NI) with a population of 340,220 in the city and over one million people in the Belfast region. The Belfast City Council area accounts for 18 per cent of the population and 30 per cent of all jobs in Northern Ireland.

The city has a young population with 43 per cent of people under 30 years old. It also has an excellent quality of living, with affordable, high quality housing, easy access to natural assets and a renowned education system.

There has been significant investment in the city with 26 completed projects and 19 under construction in the last year.

There are three airports within 90 minutes of the city centre with direct flights to over 180 destinations in 40 countries on four continents.

Belfast is number one for ‘Business Friendliness’ in mid-sized and small global cities. (FDi intelligence, Global cities of the future, 2018/19)

Business environment

Belfast is the driver of the Northern Ireland economy with:

224,149 jobs in the city

Employment area

Total jobs

Services

206,809

Manufacturing

9,809

Construction

5,348

Other

2,183

10,560 VAT registered businesses

the highest productivity growth in the UK (2013-2017)

the second fastest growing region in the UK in terms of Knowledge Economy activity (source: Northern Ireland Economy Report, 2018)

Competitive operating costs

Ranked in the top 10 most cost effective small and mid-sized global cities (FDi intelligence, Global Cities of the Future, 2018/2019)

Office take-up increased 105 per cent from 2017/2018

3rd fastest growing office market in the world (with annual percent change of 14.3 per cent).

Operating costs in NI are: 12 per cent lower than other UK regions, 33 per cent lower than the USA, 30 per cent lower than France and Germany.